Rope



June 30, 1931. H. G. METCALF ROPE Filed June 25, 1927 'm a- Gttouynf Patented. June 30,v l1931 UNITED rsiax-'ras PATENT OFFICE TANY, OF AUBURN, NEW YORK,

ROPE

"Application led J'une 25,

rope or cordage when designed for a largeclass of uses with a lubricating material or a lubricating and preservative material, the object being to prolong the life of the fiber when the rope or cordage is subjected to heavy use as well as to preserve the same against de'- terioration or injury through fungoid or bacterial action. Unfortunately, however,

' practice has demonstrated that, with all material so `'ar added to the ber in the structure of the rope or cordage, it has been practically impossible to maintain eEective water proof conditions or to retain the lubricant, no matter whether it be an oil, a gra hite o r similar substance, at the center of e rope or cordage.A Consequently, after consider-v able use, this added material which is quite effective when the rope or cordage is new, works out and is lost, whereupon, the rope begins to deteriorate through, any one or all of the causes which ultimately results in its destruction. l

It is one object of the present invention to incorporate in a rope a material which will, in a large measure, overcome the difficulties heretofore experienced, and, in addition inipart to the rope or cordage those qualities which have heretofore beenbelieved to be unattainable. Some of the advantages gained by the present invention, is a more ei'ective jwaterproong of the rope or cordage; a. reduction of the wear on the fibers un- Y,der load by improving the lubricating qualities of the filler; the ability to combine the individual fibers or greater strength and wear resistance,'to prevent fuzziness, to do away with the Anecessity of twisting tothe degreewhich has'heretofore been deemed necessaryinboth those classes of ,cordage making use of slivers as distinguished from yarns, as well as where yarns are employed.

HAROLD Gi METGALF, OF'AUBURN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOB T0 COLUMBIAN ROPE COM- RlElssUi-:D

In other Words, the present invention contemplates the provision of means for holding the fibers in proper relation with respectto each other and in a more or less substantially straight condition, more nearly parallel with the axis of the rope or cordage, thereby eliminating the imposition of what is termed cross strains on the fibers so as to avoid the cutting of the fibers which action, as will be appreciated, reduces the strength of the rope or cordage verymaterially.

Most of the ropes of the, prior art and especially those adapted for maritime uses as Well as to other uses under which they must sustain heavy loads such as drilling'cable, hoisting ropes, and transmission ropes for transmitting power, are usually composed of three or more separately formed elements known in the art as readies orstrands laid together to form what is termed laid or cablelaid rope. `When heavy loads are placed on ropes of this character it quite often happens 1927. serial Np. 201,339.

.that substantially the entire load is carried by two of the elements, under which circumstances those two load sustaining elements are' drawn inward or toward the centerof the rope structure with the result that the third element is pinched or extruded outwardlyT so as to lie outside of the exterior faces of the other two elements. lVith this third element thus projected, its exterior surface is not only exposed, but is actually worn, by surrounding objects to a much greater degree than in the case of the other two elements sustaining the load. This rubbing, chaing, or wearing of the third element causes that element to becomesevered or broken before the maximum degree of wear has been imposed upon the other two elements. In View of this, the present invention also contemplates a heavy load rope wherein all of its component parts necessarily assist inV carrying the load or wherein no one element will be compelled to sustain a greater degree of wear than any other degree of element.v More specifically stated, the invention consists in forming and laying up the rope by cementing and joiningobtained by the use of a vulcanizable compound such as a commercial latex on the market-today, the finished rope being preferably round or circular in cross section. In this way, no one portion can be placed in a position where it must sustain a greater degree of chafing or wear than any other portion, the circular rope presenting a continuous, un-

broken, wear resisting surface. Or, stated differently, there is a larger area of wearing surface over which the wear will be distributed as compared with the present day types of rope.

As before stated, the invention contemplates the construction of a rope wherein therope the fibers thereof, in addition to being,

joined or. cemented'together by the vulcanizable compound, may also be protected from chafing or rubbing by having the exterior surfaces of the elements constituting the rope `provided with a protective covering of the vulcanized material. Such coveringis not necessary or essential in all classes of ropes but where rope is t0 beusedunder circumstances such as would cause it to comeinto contact with objects, as in the case of drilling cable, hoisting ropes,.and the like, the use of a protective coveringof vulcanizing material is highly beneficial so far as the rubbing. `or chafi'n of the fibers is concerned.

Wit these and other objects in view, there is incorporated in the rope or cordage an agent or substance which has, in addition to a lubricating characteristic in the sense in i which that term isused in the cordage art, a

vbinding or cementitious characteristic, to-

gether with lubricating qualities, and preferably electrical insulating qualities as 'more particularly hereinafter pointed out. v

The'material employed is any one of a large class ofcompounds susceptible of vulcaniza-` [tion so as to form an insoluble resilient body or cementitious bod betweenl the rope or cordage. In the' pre erred adaptation of the invention use is madeof rubber latex compound,such asrubber-latex, guayuleandl crepe rubber dissolved in warm oil, but other mate-I rials, such as a mixture of rubber with natural or artificial resins or natural or prepared asphaltic compounds may be used, depending upon the lubricating qualities desired to be imparted to the rope. Amongst the naturalV resins that may be used might be mentioned' l manila gum; as an artificlal resin bakelite might be mentioned; as an example of natural asphaltic compounds elaterite 1s suggested; while stearine pitch or coal tar are glven as examples of prepared asphaltic compounds. However, the commercial rubber latex is preferred as it lendsv greater strength to the finished product.

Before incorporation in the material of which the rope or cordage is formed, a suit? able vulcanizlngagent and a vehicle is combined with the latex to insure its distribution in the rope or cordage during the formation of the latter. In case this vehicle is not of a character desired to be left in the rope or cordage it is permitted to evaporate or escape before vulcanization is effected either initially or due to the heat generated when the rope v or cordage is put'l in use,'but it is preferred that al vehicle be employed which, initself, is beneficial. For example, the ordinary cordage oil commonly known in the trade as straw oil has beenfound successful. so-called straw oil is an oil having a-mineral base and is of a light yellow or straw colo'r.

In the accompanying drawings,- -Figure'l is a transverse sectional view of a rope structure embodying the present improvements. e

Figure l2'is a like view of a modified .rope containing the invention. Figure 3 is a similar view showing a still further modification. l v

Figure 4 is a like sectional View 'showing another' form the invention may take; and v re' 5 is a sectional view illustrating a Figu modication embodying features formed in the structures of Figs. 2 and 3.

I Figure 6 is a sectional'view illustrating a modification embodying features formed in combining or laying together three ropes like` 3, 4 or 5,-that is, cabling them together.

Fig. 7 is a crosssectionof a modified rope structure Fig. 8 is an elevatidnal view, partly brokenv away, of the rope shown in Fig. 7.

This v In` the preferred'applicationof the invenl tion the'rubber'latex which usually contains about 'thirty-five ercent of rubber with l a small percentage o proteid and mineral matter, stabilized by the addition of a small percentage of ammonia, as now found on the market, is preferablyused. In making up the compound there is added to the rubber latex la desired percentage of cordage oil, sulphur,

sulphides or pol -sulphides, and in some 1nstances an acce erator for the vulcanizing process, and a metallic oxide, such for example as zinc oxideto toughen and give bo y to the vulcanized product. It has been f found that cordage oil will dissolve some four percent of sulphur and by making a slight K addition ofammonia and ammonium sulphlde, addltional sulphide may be dissolved in the manner herein pointed out.

In the rope illustrated in Fig. 1, the individual fibers or yarns are held together by the rubber latex compound or other vul-- canizable com ound 11. The fibers or yarns Y arel substantia ly separately or individually embedded in such compound andare preferably untwisted or slightly twisted, thefibers extending parallel, or substantially so, to each other as well as to the longitudinal center of the rope, or taking approximately the twist of the formed strand.

Width this construction', the usual operations of forming up. the fibers into yarns and readies, and readies laid into rope, are eliminated and, furthermore, the finished rope may conveniently be given a circular crosssection thereby obtaining a continuous and larger wear resisting surface.

In the rope of Fig. 2 the fibers 10 are similarly held together b the compound 11 and the rope made circular in cross section, -as in Fig. 1, but, in this modification the exterior wearing surface of the rope is provided'with a protecting covering 12 preferably of the same compound as is used for securing together the fibers or some other compound. v

In both of these forms of the invention it will be readily appreciated that load on therope will not be imposed upon any one group collectively. 'By the same token, it will be utterly impossible for any particular group of fibers tolbe projected or extruded beyond any other fibers so as to be positioned beyond the normal lane of the wearing surface of the rope. T erefore, wear cannot be imposed on any one portion of the ro but, on the contrary, such wear as is cause by the chafing or rubbing of the rope will be substantially evenly distributed over 'the'entire exterior thereof.

- In Fig. 3 the rope is made of a plurality I of strands 13 laid together, buteach strand is made in accordance with Fig: 1, 'the fibers 10 of the yarns 10a being untwisted or slightly twisted, and separately or individually embedded inthe vulcanizable compound 11 surfaces ofthe several strands.

by which they are bonded together. In this form of the invention the strands may be or may not be vulcanized together. In this way wear is evenly distributed over the wearing The structure of Fig. 4 is similar to that of Fig. 3 ex-` cept that in this -modication, the individual strands 13 are provided Awith the protecting covering 12 ofthe vulcanized material before being laid and bonded together.

In Fig. 5 the rope is made of a plurality of strands 13 or yarns 15, as in Figs. 3 and 4 portion of the rope under excessive strain,

while another is subjected to excessive chafmv.

I ikewise, by using the additional fibers 14 and making the rope circular in cross section, a continuous, unbroken wearing surface around therope at all points throughout the' length thereof isl obtained, as in the ropes of Figs. 1 and 2.

In addition to the advantages hereinbefore pointed out, each of the forms of ropes illustrated possesses one or two additional advantageous features. First, the rubber or other like vulcanizable compound being in cont-act with and covering, so tospeak, each of the fibers as well as theI finished rope, all of the fibers as well as the ro itself will be waterproofed. This is a hlghl desirable property in ropes, particularly t ose classes of ropes used around water, the life of present-day rope used in water being comparatively short on account of rotting caused by continually becoming wet and then drying.

One method of incorporating the solution or compound in the rope consists in passing one or more slivers or yarns which are e'ntered into the formation of the rope throu h such solution or the solution is poured on t e yarns or slivers on their way to spinning, forming or laying machines, the number of yarns or slivers treated with the solution, and

the size thereof, naturally controlling the quantity carried into the rope. The yarns or slivers carrying the solution with them are passed into the spinning or forming or laying machines preferably more or le centrally of the remaining yarns or slivers and, due to the pressure and working in the ordinary spinnlng or forming or laying machines, it is found that the-compound or solution distributes itself in a practically uniform manner throughout the whole rope or cordage. The proportions of the various ingredients used in the solution will, of course, vary, de- Ending upon the characteristics desired to imparted to the finished For instance, if it is desired to' have thefrop'e highly lubricated, so to speak, the cordage or rope could'contain as high as twelve percent of cordage oil; one-half of one percent sulphur;

l six percent of rubber latex; two-tenths of methylene tetramine.- Onthe other hand,

. if it 1s not desired to have such a high percentage of lubricant in the finished 4rope the quantity of cordage oil may be decreased to any desired extent or some of the colloids mentioned, other than rubber latex may be utilized in the solution. I

The particular character of the forming machine is not material, inasmuch as all of these lmachines subject the fiber to heavy pressure whereby the fibers are consolidated -i and worked together and this effects the practically uniform distribution ofthe binding and lubricating substance. The cordage thus 'formdniay be subjected toa vulcanizing temperature amd pressure, although practice has demonstrated that even though no additional heatvis supplied, the working of the rope through the machine, and the subsequent working of the rope when it is put into use, effects a suiicient lvulcanization to give to the rope or cordage highly desirable and important characteristics which materially v prolongl its life, both under stresses of use and in resisting deterioration due to exposure to water or atmospheric conditions. Furv that even afterlong and heavy found butflittle, if any,

sult in so rapid thermore, the rope or cordage thus prepared is found to possess important electrical resistance or insulating qualities which particularly adapt itl for use as hand lines'in the repair or running of wiresv liable to 'be charged with high tension current. ,v

The vulcanization results in binding the fibers together, but at the same timethe elastic characteristics of the binding agent permits ofthe necessary flexing of the rope or cordage, or, in other words, the relative' inove-V ment ofthe fibers without causing disruption of the fibers, themselves. At the same time there is little or no tendency of the binding out from between the fibers, so

work the interiorof a rope remains in condition to bear its proportion of strain and there will .be

evidence of pulverization, such as ordinarily occurs. In fact, it has been found that in well cables, even when agent to work a draw occurs., the effect of wear on the projecting portions of the cable does not redisintegration as Yordinarily sets in, because ofthe fact that the remaining parts of the worn fibers are bound togather and held in place, while the 'other fibers are bound together and held in place.

I small cordage In certain classes cfr cordage, particularly or twines to which a covering fof starch is applied, it is found that the use of Aa 'rubber-like `compound is of material 'adyvantage in'that it maintains the softness and flexibility-without imparting the ability of `the cordage vtoretain the starch coatlng, and

in all instances itis found that the color and' appearance of the cordageis not materially xmffectedrunless the vulcanizing temperature be carried too high. Therefore, it may be so-called cold vulcanizing processes, cially if it is desired to lnitially vulcamze only that portion of the compound binding the fibers together near the surface of the cordage.

,When the rope is made u of slivers, the fibers are substantiall parall ize elastic collold serving to hold the fibers 1n form, but of course, a pllurality of slivers may be combined and eac sliver ma have i desirable in some instances to use one of the el and prefer- 'abl substantially wit out twist, the vulcana wear resisting covering if so desire as in known classes of rope.

Insofar as the coverlng of rubber is concerned, 1t 1s, of course, not l1m1ted 1n lts use tothe particular forms of rope shown in,

Figs. 1 to 6,-that is, those forms of ro e wherein the fibers are more or less paral el and cemented together instead of being spun as in the ordinary methods of makin rope. p

In view of this, in Figs. 7 and 8, t ere is shown a Apiece of cordage of ordinary constructionconsistin of `a pluralit of spun yarns 30 twisted togetherjin accor` ance with common practices. Tothis strand there is applied' av vulcanized'rubber ,sheath which wil protect the lfibers against chafing as in the 4previously 'described constructions. Where the piece of cord' consists of a plurality Ofstrands, each formed of a plurality of yarns, there. is necessarily a series of spirally extending groov s in the surface of the rope throughout the en and these grooves becom fi ed with rubber when the cover is applic so that the rubber extending into such grooves will prevent slip@ page or creepage o the rubber covering on the rope However, where the cordage has a substantially smooth exterior surface, as in the case of a strand ccmposedof a multiplicityy of yarns such as illustrated in Figs. 7 and 8, it is quite often desirable to lay a yarn 31 around the surface of a rope before applying'the rubber covering. Due to the pressure exerted in applying the rubbercovering this yarn 31 tends to form an vinterlock between said cover' and. strand proper whereby creeping or slipping of the cover o n the fiber center is prevented.` --It should also be mentioned hat mstead of relying upon this interlocking yarn v31 or upon the rubber lying in thespiral grooves 1n lthesurface of the spiral center, the cover may be vulcanized on the fiber center to prevent' slippage. This is especially' true in those forms of the present rope wherein the fibers are substantially untwisted but are cemented together. Furthermore, the feature of providing a rubber covering'for protectivepurposes is applicable to other forms of rope, such as wire ropes `or cables. That i's, the substitution of-wire elementsv for the vegetable fibers is immaterial so far as the use of the protective covering of vulcanized rubber is concerned.- The proh of the latter tective covering, shown in the present incovered wire rope over sheaves, the wires at the surface break, oftentimes resulting in persons receiving cuts which bring` on blood poisoning and, consequently, claims against the employer for damages. Such occurrences as these are impossible where the protective vulcanized rubber covering is used. Again, where the wire rope comes in. contactl with water, the protective covering eliminatesrusting and consequent deterioration of the rope. y

It will also be understood that the'use of the latex compound for cementing the bers together is not limited to ropes wherein the individual fibers are arranged as shown in Figs. l to 6. Ropes made up of yarns, for instance as illustrated in Figs. 7 and 8, may be treated with the solution the same as has been described in connection with the ropes shown in Figs. l to 6. In other words, the following claims are not to belimited to any particular fiber arrangement except in those claims where speciticarrangements orconstructions are expressly included. v

This is a continuation in part of applicants co-pending application Serial No. 674,728, tiled November 14, 1923, insofar as any ide, and approximately four-hundredths of one percent of an accelerator.

6. As a new article of manufacture, a rope of circular cross section composed of fibers lying substantially'parallel to the longitudinal center ofthe rope with all of said fibers cemented or held together by a vulcanized compound, and a covering of said vulcanized material enclosing the rope proper.

7. A rope structure comprising a plurality of strands laid together in twisted relation to form the finished rope, each of said strands being of circular cross section and composed 'of fibers lying substantially parallel to the longitudinal center of said strand, all of said bers being cemented or held together by a vulcanized compound, and a covering of said vulcanized material enclosing each strand. HAROLD G. METCALF.

subject-matter common to the two cases is concerned. j

What I claim is:

1. A rope or cordage structure formedA of vegetable fibers having incorporated therein and substantially uniformly distributed between the fibers a compound of colloid rubber and cordage roil.

f 2. A rope or cordage structure formed of vegetable bers and having incorporated .therein and substantially uniformly distributed between the bers a compound of co1- loid rubber, sulphur and cordage oil.

3. A -rope or cordage structure .formed of vegetable fibers and having incorporated therein `and substantially uniformly distributed between the bers a compound of colloid rubber, sulphur, a metallic oxide and cordage oil.

4. A rope or cordage structure formed of vegetable fibers havin incorporated therein a vulcanized com-poun ofcolloid rubber, oil, sulphur, a metallic oxide and an accelerator.

5. A rope or cordage structure formed of vegetable fibers having incorporated therein a. vulcanizable compound comprising. twelve percent or less of cordage oil, approxlmately one-halt` of one percent of sulphur, approximately six percent of rubber latex, approximately two-tenths of one percent of zinc oxl 

